Pack annealing



E. T. PETERSON ET AL Sept.l 9, 1958 PACK ANNEALING 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25. 1954 Sept. 9,4 1958 E. T. PETERSQN lETAL 'l 21,850,928

` PACK ANNEALING Filed Aug. 2s. 1954 v vzfsheets-sheet 2 United States Patent O PACK ANNEALING Edward T. Peterson and Edward C. Peterson, Reading, Pa., assignors to Birdsboro Steel Foundry and Machine Company, Dover, Del.

Application August 23, 1954, Serial No. 451,572

3 Claims. (Cl. 80-42) The present invention relates to pack annealing mechanism for use in connection with cooling beds or hot beds and in association with rolling mills forsteel and other metal products.

A purpose of the invention is to reduce the likelihood of confusion in mechanical manipulation of strip and the like in pack annealing and particularly to reduce the diihculty of manual separation of packs on a cooling bed.

A further purpose is to minimize differences in mechanical properties of pack annealed steel strip due to end eiect.

A further purpose is to assure that when a pack annealing pack collapses the forwardmost bars will be on top and therefore will be best placed for separation from the rest of the pack.

A further purpose is to reduce the likelihood of clogging of pack annealing mechanism due to scale.

A further purpose is to advance a pack on a substantially horizontal supporting surface, supporting the front of the pack by an abutment biased against forward motion and desirably inclining the back rearwardly, to latch the rear of the pack against falling rearwardly, to push individual bars forward into the pack, and then release the entire pack by raising the abutment and the latch until the pack has been carried beyond the pack annealing mechanism, after which a new pack is formed.

A further purpose is to obtain a longer packthan has been possible in prior art pack annealing.

A further purpose is to simplify the separation of bars which have reached the run-out table.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims. Y

In the drawings we have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous vembodiments in which our invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure l is a diagrammatic vertical section transverse to the run-in table and longitudinal of the hot bed, showing the pack annealing mechanism of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the mechanism of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary tranverse section corresponding to a portion of Figure 1 showing a modification.

In the prior art batch pack annealing hasmainly been accomplished in the straightening notch or in inclined surfaces below the straightening notch, permitting only limited length of the pack. With continuous packing when the forwardmost bar has been released, it has been tilted forward, so that as a consequence the rearward bars are lying on top of the more forward bars as the bars enter the cooling bed beyond the pack. It has been customary to operate the pack annealing by mechanism which is located below the pack.

These practices have led to a number of difficulties which'the present invention is designed to overcome.

In batch packing due to the limited lengths of packs which have been possible, and also because the rearmost rolls 21 distributed along the same, driven by individualv bar after leaving the pack is on top of the forward bars and thus exposed to permit rapid cooling rather Ythan being underneath the next forward bar and thus retarded in cooling, there has been substantial variation in properties due to end effect; that is, the difference in cooling rate of the endmost and the intermediate bars of the pack.

The present invention is designed to provide longer packs by erecting the pack on cooling bed bars rather than in the straightening notch or a special notch, thus permitting packs limited only by the width of the bed, and the construction of the packing mechanism.

Furthermore in accordance with the prior art practice of allowing the forwardmost bar to tilt forward and fall forward after leaving the pack, subsequent bars overlying the initial bar have tended to interfere with separation of the bars at the run-out table. With continuous packing there has been a tendency for bars to become confused and mixed up, and in some cases the very hazardousv process of sending men on the cooling bed to straighten out the bars has been adopted. Y

By the present invention, each bar is tilted so that it will fall backward when lthe pack is released and thus the more forward bar is on top and less likely to become mixed in position.

Furthermore the present invention is designed to provide mechanism located above the support, and not likely to become jammed or clogged by scale or other material dropping from the pack.

In accordance with the invention, the front end of the pack will be held in a positive manner by a oating abutment suspended from a bracket and desirably extending the full length of the bed. The abutment is pushed forward as the pack is formed, and the pack is desirably formed by packing arms placed at intervals along the length of the bed. After the bar leaves the straightening notch and enters the straight bar carry-over section of the cooling bed, the packing arms turn the bar up on, edge and it is held in this position by a latch, one of which is desirably located adjacent each packing arm.

When the desired length of pack has been formed, the brackets supporting the abutment and the latches are desirably raised in unison, thus allowing the pack to collapse rearward. The raising motion automatically retracts the abutment and when the pack is cleared and the brackets are lowered, the mechanism is ready to form a new pack.

After the pack is released it will be walked across the carry-over mechanism of the cooling bed by the ordinary cooling bed bars, which must, in this case, be straight.

It will be evident that this mechanism assures a more positive control of ats on a cooling bed than has heretofore been possible. A much longer pack can be obtainedk than has been previously the practice when batch packing on notched bars or in a straightening notch, so that end effect will be minimized.

The fact that each bar lies' backwardly partially on top of the next rearward bar will promote annealing of the last bars to be introduced, since they will each have bars lying on top of them.

Furthermorepby the procedure indicated, a compact group of bars will travel across the carry-over section of the cooling bed to the shule bars and run-out table with less danger of tangling, so that the need for hand separation will -be eliminated. The separation of bars whenV they arrive at the run-out table will be simplified, since the bar which must first be taken to the run-out table is on top and forward, instead of being underneath as in the prior practice. l

Considering now the device of the drawings in detail, We illustrate a run-in table 20 from a rolling mill, having motors 22. A bar on the run-in table is kicked off by any suitable mechanism, not shown, and passes down over an inclined apron 23 into a straightening notch 24 as well known. From the straightening notch the bar is raised as later explained and drops over an inclined apron portion 26 to a cooling bed 27, of which the first set of straight carry-over bars 28 only are shown. These bars are: desirably generally horizontal as well known.

For the purpose of the present invention, this may be regarded as any suitable run-in table and cooling bed, and no intention exists to confine the invention to the particular detail of such mechanism.

At intervals along the run-in table and desirably located on the side remote from the cooling bed, vertical standards 30, are positioned having vertical guideways 31 `and open at the side toward the cooling bed to admit in eachstandard a bracket 32. The bracket is guided to move vertically in the standard, having at each side top and bottom rollers 34 which ride in the guideway.

Each bracket is engaged at the top inside the standard by a chain 35 which is carried over a pulley 36 at the top of the standard and a pulley 37 at the bottom of the standard to engage a pull rod 38 which by movement longitudinally of the run-in table is capable of moving all brackets up and down in unison.

The brackets extend out above the cooling bed to form a generally horizontal portion 40 which has longitudinal guideways 41 which receive guide rollers 42 on a longitudinally moving abutment 43 which extends longitudinally of the entire cooling bed. The abutment has a rear abutment face 44 which in the preferred embodiment of the invention is inclined rearwardly at an angle to the vertical which is desirably not in excess of about 30 and preferably about 10.

The abutment 43 runs along the cooling bed 27 and is retarded by its own weight against forward movement. At each bracket a flexible cable 45 connects the abutment with an anchorage S1. The flexible cable is guided over pulleys 46, 47 and 48 on the bracket The cable at the end is desirably secured beyond the anchorage by buffer springs 50 which permit slight take-up when the cable is taut.

At intervals along the apron, pushers 53 are located, extending transversely to the run-in table and beneath the same at positions between the rolls, and erecting the last bar 52 on the apron 26. In one embodiment of the invention as shown in Figures l and 2, the pushers are operated in unison by cranks 54 pivotally connected at 55 to the pushers 'and mounted on a longitudinal shaft 56.

The pushers are guided on a roller 57 near their for- Ward end and are notched at 58 to avoid interference with the straightening notch. It will of course be evident that the bar resting in the straightening notch will be removed therefrom Vby the usual plunger lift, not shown.

The last bar in the pack is held in raised position by latches 60 pivoted at 61 on bearing supports 62 which are fastened on the brackets by bolts 63. The bearing supports are cross connected by tubes 62. The latches have latch ends 64 which engage behind the rearward corner of the rearmost bar of the pack 65. Each latch has a rearward yoke extension which surrounds the bearing support and the yoke extension carries an adjustable abutment 66 which engages on the yoke extension in limiting downward movement of the latching end (which is the heavier end and therefore biased downward by gravity).

In some cases where the cooling bed is very long there is likely to be considerable torsional deflection in shaft 56.

In Figure 3 we show an alternate form which compensates for this diiculty. In this case the shaft 56 is conveniently reduced in cross section and at the position of each pusher rod carries a ring gear 67 which meshes with a rack 68 in a rack guide 70. The rack connects with pusher rod 53 `at its forward end.

At the rear the rack pivotally connects at 71 with piston rod 72 which is part of a piston and rod combination operating in fluid actuated cylinder 73 pivoted on trunnion bearing 74 on the frame.

Thus when the shaft 56 is to be energized, all of the cylinders 73 are energized and they cach apply force to their racks which engage ring gears 67 on shaft 56', thc shaft tending to equalize the forward motion of the pusher rods.

In operation, assuming a pack has just been completed, the pull rod 3S is moved longitudinally and raises all the brackets in unison. The abutment is retracted by the cables 45 which became taut before the brackets arc raised and assumes a position yadjoining the first bar of the pack. Normal operation of the cooling bed carries the old pack across the cooling bed out of the way or' the pack annealing mechanism.

The brackets are then lowered to the position shown in Figure l, by retracting the pull rod 38, and the abutment encounters the next bar which has been caused by the plunger lift to leave the straightening notch and travel down the apron portion 26. The pushers move forward in unison and erect this bar in rearwardly inclined position against the rear edge 44 of the abutment, and the bar is held in raised position as the first bar of the new pack by latches 60 which latch under gravity action. As each successive bar reaches the position of the bar 52 on the apron 26, the pushers erect the bar and bring it into latching position as the last bar of the pack. Since the pushers have a limited stroke they merely advance the pack by one bar thickness each time. As each bar is added at the back, the abutment moves forward against the drag applied by its own weight, but all of the bars remain rearwardly inclined to form the pack 65 in which the side faces of the bars are engaged and the bars are supported on edge.

When the desired length of pack has been made, the pack is released by operating the pull rod 38 to raise all the brackets in unison, so that the abutments and the latches are above the pack. The result is to collapse the pack with each bar lying partially on top of the bar behind it and being positioned slightly forward of the bar behind it. Operation of the carry-over bars 28 now carries the pack across the cooling bed and the action of notched bars will separate the individual bars as desired.

After the pack has moved out from under the pack annealing mechanism it is time to form a new pack.

In view of our invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benelits of our invention Without copying the process and apparatus shown, and we therefore claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In mechanism for pack annealing, a generally horizontal supporting surface, an abutment movable longitudinally along the supporting surface and having a rear abutment surface which is rearwardly inclined, means for raising successive bars on edge into a pack, the first of which bars is engaged by the rear supporting surface of the abutment and all of which bars are inclined rearwardly, latch means for holding the last bar in raised position and means for concurrently releasing the abutment and the latch means in order to form a reversely shingled pack.

2. In pack annealing mechanism, substantially horizontal support means, an abutment movable longitudinally across the support means while holding the individual bars inclined rearwardly dite to rearward inclination of the rearward edge of the abutment, pusher means for raising successive bars on edge and forming them into a pack held in forward position by the abutment, the pusher means comprisingpusher bars, ashaft extending longitudinally of the individual Work bars, rack means interconnected to the pusher bars, gearing intermeshing the rack means with the shaft and fluid actuating means for advancing the rack means at various positions corresponding to at least some of the pusher bar positions, and means for latching the last Work bar of the pack in raised position.

3. In pack annealing mechanism, an approach table, a cooling bed extending laterally of the approach table, standards at intervals along the approach table, brackets extending from the standards above the approach table and above the adjoining portion of the cooling bed, guide means for guiding the brackets in vertical movements on the standards, means for raising the brackets vertically in unison in the standards, abutment means extending downward from the brackets above the cooling bed, movable longitudinally of the cooling bed and having rearwardly inclined engaging faces, guide means in the brackets for guiding the abutment means, a shaft extending longitudinally of the approach table, pushers extending transversely to the abutment, means interrelated with the shaft for advancing the pushers, a latch means mounted on the brackets and biased to engage the upper rearward corner of the rearward bar, the raising of the brackets accomplishing release of the pack to form a reverse shingle pack unit.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,762,291 Fors June 10, 1930 2,046,921 Mikaelson July 7, 1936 2,328,634 Fisk Sept. 7, 1943 2,328,923 Peterson Sept. 7, 1943 2,332,905 Fisk Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 734,191 France Oct. 17, 1932 

